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Applying

Individuals who want to gain advanced skills and knowledge to enhance their current practice and who want to become innovators in traditional and emerging areas of occupational therapy should apply to our Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program (PP-OTD). Students also have the opportunity to develop or refine academic and clinical teaching skills. This program is for practitioners currently working in the Occupational Therapy field.

Thomas Jefferson University is a member of SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements).

Application Deadlines

To be considered complete and eligible for review, a Thomas Jefferson University application must be completed online by the deadline date, along with the required letters of recommendation, transcripts, personal statement, and all applicable documents (test scores, etc.). All documents must be postmarked by the deadline date to be eligible for review.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as decisions are granted on a rolling basis throughout the cycle until the class is filled. Decisions include: Offer of Admission, Denied Admission, Hold for Grades and Waitlist.

Prerequisites

US Credentialed Applicants

Degree & GPA: A minimum 3.0 GPA cumulative average in a completed BS, MS or MA Occupational Therapy program is required.

Test Scores: If your Bachelor's or Master’s degree GPA is below 3.0, the GRE or MAT examination is required.

Professional Licensure: A valid state occupational therapy license.

Internationally Credentialed Applicants

Degree & GPA: Applicants educated abroad must earn their degree from a WFOT- approved school. A minimum 3.0 GPA cumulative average is required.

Test Scores: If your Bachelor's or Master’s degree GPA is below 3.0, the GRE or MAT examination is required.

Professional Experiences:

NBCOT Certification

Work History: at least 3 years of documented work as a practicing occupational therapist

Evidence of Continuing Education: at least 36 Professional Development Units (PDU's) within the past three years

Students participating in the Occupational Therapy Programs at Thomas Jefferson University must have essential skills to perform successfully as a student. These requirements apply to classroom, laboratory and clinical/fieldwork/residency envi­ronments. Students must be able to perform the following with or without rea­sonable accommodation:

Complete reading assignments, search and analyze professional literature, and apply information gained to guide practice; learn, retain and use infor­mation from texts, journals, documentation and other written sources.

Perceive and understand three-dimensional relationships and spatial rela­tionships necessary for education and practice-related tasks such as moving in a variety of environments, designing treatment equipment and fabricating splints.

Participate equitably in cooperative group learning activities; actively par­ticipate in class discussions and as a member of a team.

Orally present information to groups of people.

Maintain attention for 2-4 hours; tolerate days when classes may last 8-10 hours.

Take and pass tests/quizzes in a variety of formats.

Complete written assignments and produce written documentation in stan­dard and organized English.

Demonstrate problem-solving skills and judgment necessary to modify eval­uation or intervention methods when necessary to address the specific needs of client (behavioral, cultural, etc.), in order to maximize client per­formance.

Apply clinical reasoning and judgment necessary for interpretation of eval­uation data and development of treatment plans.

Identify and select occupations that are goal directed and motivate and challenge clients.

Demonstrate judgment necessary to establish priorities and develop and use strategies.

Student must possess sufficient BEHAVIORAL/SOCIAL-COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIORS to:

Demonstrate respect for diversity, including but not limited to, socio-cultural, socioeconomic, and spiritual and lifestyle choices.

Collaborate with classmates, clients, family members, significant others and team members.

Function successfully in supervisory and instructor-student relationships; change and adjust behavior and performance in the classroom, laboratory or clinic on the basis of instructor feedback.

Communicate in the English language effectively and clearly in oral and written forms, using proper spelling, punctuation and grammar to explain procedures and teach skills.

Use language appropriate to the recipient, with faculty, peers, clients and other health professionals from different social and cultural backgrounds to obtain information from clients, peers, faculty, supervisors and other profes­sionals.

Use communication skills needed to practice safely.

Use therapeutic communication skills such as attending and active listening during therapeutic interactions; and motivating and facilitating client behav­iors in order to maximize client performance.

Communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally; elicit and describe factual information and perceive information derived from verbal and non­verbal communication and social cues.

Be appropriately assertive as required to speak in class, initiate and guide the therapy process, establish limits as needed for the safety of self and clients and establish professional identity within complex systems.

Utilize the computer for communication and class assignments.

Exhibit professional demeanor including appropriate language and dress, and acceptance of responsibility for conduct.

Demonstrate organizational and time management skills and ability to pri­oritize activities effectively as needed to attend class and fulfill class require­ments.

Exhibit flexibility and adapt to changing environments and expectations.

Cope with stresses encountered in the intensive educational process as well as clinical practice environments.

Demonstrate consistent work behaviors including initiative, preparedness, dependability, punctual attendance and work site maintenance.

Tolerate working in environments where there is exposure to disability, ill­ness, pain and death.

Observe persons and scenarios and elicit relevant information for use in assessment and intervention.

Plan, guide and implement both individual and group interventions.

Maintain ethical standards including honesty, integrity and confidentiality at all times.

Demonstrate mobility and ability to move within environments adequately to access and maneuver within locations and destinations including class­room, laboratory and clinical settings.

Demonstrate sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control, eye/hand coordination, strength and integrated function of the senses of vision, hear­ing, tactile sense, vestibular (movement sense) and proprioception (sense of muscles and joints) to manipulate and use common occupational therapy equipment, devices, materials and supplies, and demonstrate competency in the use of these objects within assessment and treatment procedures commonly used in occupational therapy practice.

Demonstrate motor skill capacities with sufficient levels of strength, endurance and fine and gross motor coordination to safely, accurately and effectively engage in a wide variety of therapeutic techniques, activities and occupations used in the occupational therapy assessment and intervention process including the ability to lift and move objects, adequate manual dex­terity, arm and hand function needed to use tools and perform other manip­ulative activities, use of limbs and trunk in bending, twisting, squatting, kneeling, reaching, pushing, pulling, holding, extending and rotating.

Tolerate physical contact with others; tolerate manipulation of his/her own body by peers or instructors for instructional purposes.

Demonstrate sufficiently high degree of coordination of motor skills and vig­ilance to respond to emergency situations quickly and appropriately, includ­ing performance of CPR.

Travel to fieldwork site.

Fieldwork and Residency/Experiential Placement:

Fieldwork placements are not available in all states, and state availability for fieldwork placement and residency is subject to change.

Application Requirements

Create an account by visiting our applicant portal.Follow the directions to complete the application:

Online Application

The term "designation" in the application refers to the major you are applying to. Please select “Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate” as the designation for the term you are interested in applying. You can only select one program designation per application term. If you select multiple designations, your application will not be processed and you will be charged additional fees for selecting multiple designations.

Professional Summary Statement

Please submit a professional summary statement (no more than 1000 words) outlining professional goals and objectives, your areas of interest in pursuing your degree and your potential as a leader and change agent in the field of occupational therapy.

Recommendation Letters

Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters can be written by a: professor, academic administrator, professional or volunteer supervisor or manager. Letters from family, friends or co-workers will not be accepted.

Applicants will need to provide the name, title, and email address of the people writing the recommendations via the online application. You will receive an email from TJAPP with a recommendation form directly to the references.

References must return the recommendation form directly to TJAPP, not the student.

If you possess previously written letters of recommendation from a reference, contact your admissions counselor directly.

English Language Proficiency

All international applicants and U.S. permanent residents must demonstrate English language proficiency as one of the conditions for admission to Thomas Jefferson University. Applicants must submit official TOEFL scores or fulfill one or more of the conditions necessary to waive the English language proficiency requirement. TOEFL or IELTS scores are valid for two years; scores older than two years will not be considered.

Drug, Criminal Background & Child Abuse Clearances

Regardless of whether or not a student graduates from Thomas Jefferson University, individuals who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor may be denied certification or licensure as a health professional. Information regarding individual eligibility may be obtained from the appropriate credentialing bodies.

Advanced Practice Education Grants

Applicants interested in applying for an Advanced Practice Education grant will need to complete the required documentation for this program upon admission.

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